Atalanta have named a 22-man squad for the Conference League clash with FC Kairat, with Maurizio Sarri forced to lean heavily on youth after eight players were ruled out through injury.
The squad announcement on Thursday evening underlined the scale of the issue facing Atalanta. Seven players from the club's U23s have been included, with five teenagers among the group set for the European fixture at 17.45 GMT, 18.45 CET.
A youthful squad for a European test
Atalanta go into the match having taken three points from their first two Conference League games. They beat Pafos 3-1 at home on the opening round of fixtures, before losing 2-0 away to Ajax in their most recent European outing.
That leaves them in 31st place with three points, a position that makes Thursday's game an important one despite the injury problems. Sarri has still had to name a squad capable of competing, but the absences mean the balance of experience and youth is not what he would ideally want at this stage of the competition.
Kairat arrive with their own points to prove
FC Kairat have also played two Conference League matches before this meeting. They drew 1-1 with Riga in the first round of fixtures, then lost 5-1 at home to Panathinaikos in their second game.
That leaves Kairat on one point and in 15th place after two matches, so both sides come into the game with clear reasons to push for a result. For Atalanta, the immediate story is the squad list: a 22-man group, seven U23 players, and a long injury list that has sharply reduced Sarri's options.
In that sense, the selection tells its own story. This is not simply a routine squad announcement. It is a sign that Atalanta must trust younger players to handle a European night when the margin for error is already slim.
